Mace Rothenberg, M.D.
VICC’s Rothenberg named one of nation’s top cancer caregivers
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center's Mace Rothenberg, M.D., has been named one of the nation's top cancer caregivers by the American Cancer Society.
He is one of eight care providers from a variety of backgrounds and regions chosen to receive the 2008 American Cancer Society Lane W. Adams Quality of Life Award, a national prize for cancer care. The award recognizes individuals who have made a difference through innovation, leadership and consistent excellence in providing compassionate, skilled care and counsel to persons living with cancer and their families.
“Going above and beyond the call of duty to extend the 'warm hand of service' to cancer patients is a top priority for these dedicated individuals,” said Elmer Huerta, M.D., M.P.H., national volunteer president of the American Cancer Society.
Rothenberg is a medical oncologist who has made significant contributions to the development and federal approval of drug treatments for colorectal and pancreatic cancer. He is co-director, along with Robert Coffey Jr., M.D., professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, of the GI Specialized Programs of Research Excellence program at Vanderbilt-Ingram.
“I am so honored to receive this award from the American Cancer Society,” said Rothenberg.
“I have always felt that caring for people with cancer requires much more than an ability to calculate the right dose of chemotherapy. One of the greatest joys and challenges of what I do is to provide the best possible medical care in a context that recognizes and respects the wishes and needs of the patient and the family.”
Rothenberg is the only medical caregiver in Tennessee chosen for this national award.
“Mace Rothenberg truly is one of those innovative thinkers whose focus on new biologic mechanisms to inhibit cancer cells has helped lead to our growing leadership position among cancer centers,” said Jennifer Pietenpol, Ph.D., director of Vanderbilt-Ingram. “At the same time, he is a patient-centered clinician who unfailingly provides compassionate care to individuals and their families.”
Rothenberg and the other recipients of the ACS award will be honored during a ceremony in Los Angeles, May 9.